Dishing With Day-Day

Sept. 25, 2008

This season fans will have the opportunity to see first-hand what it it’s like to be a part of the women’s basketball program at Georgia Tech in a series of online journal entries at Ramblinwreck.com written by sophomore Shaday “Day-Day” Woolcock.

Check out Day-Day’s latest entry below:

Sept. 25, 2008

Entry #13

Time is going by so quickly. In three weeks we will be starting official practice and just three weeks after that we will be suiting up and getting ready for our first home game. As a team, we are so excited about this season. So many great things have been happening for this program that just continues to motivate and inspire my teammates and I. Just last week, Kisha Ford, a former Georgia Tech women’s basketball player, was inducted into Georgia Tech’s Hall of Fame. Ford was the first women’s basketball Tech player ever to be drafted by a WNBA franchise and she currently holds Tech’s women’s basketball records for points and steals. I had seen her pictures and heard so much about her but to introduce myself and hear her speak at the gathering we had before the Hall of Fame dinner was just amazing. I think she touched us each in some special sort of way. Whether for some people that was believing in our coaches to push us and make us the best player possible or motivating us to work hard and set records like she has done, her speech really moved us, and although she may have affected us in different ways, we all realize how her hard work, dedication and commitment really paid off. One thing that stood out to me besides her many accomplishments was the fact that her mother was there at the ceremony, smiling happily as ever. My all-time goal is to make my mother as proud as possible and seeing Kisha’s mother thrilled inspired me very much.

I was honored to find out that I was chosen as the first recipient of the Bill and Janet Rocker Endowment. Mr. and Mrs. Rocker are two fantastic people that have truly been a tremendous support to our team and my teammates and I are so grateful for them. Supporters such as the Rockers, Tech’s staff, fans, friends and family mean some much to us and our success here at Tech. We hope to continue to have this support and even more support as we work hard and try our best to make everyone proud.

In this off season, the team has been going very hard and not just in workouts and classes. We have also been very active in the community. This past weekend, we met many of the walkers who participated in the breast cancer walk. As they were coming across the finish line, my teammates and I were there congratulating, clapping, cheering and waving pom poms. It meant so much to be a part of this event. Breast cancer is very serious especially for women and to see the strong survivors and the others who walked for people they knew, was very touching. Later this week, we will be working with GoGirlGo!, which is a group that uses sports and physical activity as an educational intervention that supports girls’ health and wellness in childhood and early womanhood. This program means a lot to me personally. I am so blessed and thankful for what I have today, but growing up I wish I could have been a part of a group like this that gives these girls the exposure they deserve and gives them a guidance to what they can accomplish in life. Since I did not have this opportunity, I am proud to say that I am a part of making this opportunity possible for another young girl.